Finish Removal on Trigger Assembly

Remington 870 Repair and Gunsmithing.
The Rattler
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Finish Removal on Trigger Assembly

Post by The Rattler » Sat Sep 02, 2017 7:33 pm

I have a relatively new to me 1966 Wingmaster that I am refurbishing. I already refinished the wood. I want to use Durablue on the metal. Previously, I've only done 1 metal refurbishment of an old single shot using Durablue, so I am a relative neophyte at this. I will use sandblasting to remove the finish on the barrel and receiver prior to using an air brush to apply the Durable.

My issue regards how to handle the finish on the lower part of the trigger assembly. It appears ill advised to remove the trigger assembly to sand blast the just above the trigger guard and the trigger guard itself for fear of a lot of dust getting into the inner workings of the assembly. I believe I can tightly fill the opening on the side of the receiver with rags. (1) But would leaving the trigger assembly in the receiver during sandblasting still run too high of a risk of sandblast dust getting in the workings of the trigger assembly? (2) Would submerging the assembly after sandblasting into mineral spirits or acetone and swishing it around,be sufficient to remove all of the dust? I do not feel qualified to disassemble and reassemble the trigger assembly myself.

(3) What about trying to remove the finish by hand just above the trigger and inside and out of the trigger guard, reinstalling the assembly, and then air brushing the Durablue on it? If so, how would I proceed to remove the finish by hand, using steel wool or sandpaper? Experimenting with 0000 and 000 steel wool showed very slow going using 000 steel wool. the Durable requires a slightly roughed up surface for proper adherence.

(4) Is there any chance that this finish is bluing? Durablue told me about a year and a half ago that bluing does not have to be removed to apply Durablue.

All insight will be greatly appreciated.

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Banshee
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Re: Finish Removal on Trigger Assembly

Post by Banshee » Sat Sep 02, 2017 8:24 pm

Pretty sure the aluminum trigger guards are anodized. Do a search online and you should find someone who can re anodize it.
If you are going to sandblast it i would completely disassemble it. There is no way to keep the sand out of it and almost impossible to clean it all out afterwards. If you are going to rework it, do it right, don't half ass it and ruin a good shotgun
The devil danced as he went down, in the hail of arrows comin' Out on the wild Montana ground, Custer died a-runnin'.

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Re: Finish Removal on Trigger Assembly

Post by Synchronizor » Sun Sep 03, 2017 4:09 am

Yeah, anodizing isn't something you can do at home without specialized equipment. A better do-it-yourself option would be to remove just the trigger and safety switch, carefully sand the exterior part of the trigger plate smooth, then mask and use a gun paint for the touch-up. I'm not that familiar with Durablue, but if it's a type of paint or coating, and not actual bluing, it may work for this. Real bluing won't work on aluminum.

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Re: Finish Removal on Trigger Assembly

Post by The Rattler » Mon Sep 04, 2017 12:39 am

Thanks for these replies. Both Duracoat and Durablue are made by the same company. I understand that Durablue is fundamentally the same as Duracoat. Below is a quote from the Duracoat FAQ page


“Will DuraCoat® adhere to hard coat anodizing and Parkerizing?
   
DuraCoat® loves hard coat anodizing and Parkerizing as a base. Both processes leave a good rooting surface for DuraCoat®.” I will double check with Durablue and confirm if the underlying metal being aluminum would make a difference. For all I know, anodizing is only done on aluminum. Anyway, I will check with them.

I take it that the anodizing on a ’66 Wingmaster’s trigger is “hard coat anodizing.” If that is wrong, please let me know.

A. Won’t the silver colored trigger need to be removed if either:

1. I get an anodizing service to anodize the trigger guard and the portion just above it; or

2. Spray Durablue on that portion of the trigger assembly exterior with an airbrush while it is installed in the receiver?

If I get an anodizing service to re-anodize it, wouldn’t the trigger have to be removed while they do that? If so, I would not think it a good idea to have the anodizing experts disassemble all or any part of the trigger assembly. That is not their expertise. If I spray Durablue on it while the trigger is installed, it will change the color from silver to bluish black. But is that so bad?

If the trigger must be removed, it seems my choices are to do it myself or have a gunsmith do it. For doing it myself:

1. Are there any videos on how to disassemble the trigger assembly or to just remove the trigger? I haven’t found them. I notice that there is a pin just above the trigger that appears to hold the trigger in place. Can you simply use a small punch to remove and then simply pull out the trigger? If so, would it screw up anything else, such as springs, etc.? How hard would it be to re-install the trigger lining up holes that you can't see?

Also, how do you remove the safety bar? I take it that is the thing that slides back and forth engaging and disengaging the safety. Is there a video showing how to do that? How important is it to remove it before spraying the Durablue?

Does the fact that I have all of these questions mean that I should not attempt any disassembly to remove the trigger and safety bar, but instead take it to a gunsmith? I would like to learn how to do this, but not at the expense of risking the ruining of a good shotgun.

Thank you very much.

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Re: Finish Removal on Trigger Assembly

Post by Synchronizor » Mon Sep 04, 2017 7:26 am

I'm not convinced the aluminum trigger plates are anodized. Many I've seen are only partially colored, with the part inside the receiver left bare (or at least appearing to be bare):

Image

Aluminum parts are anodized in an electrolytic solution, which means the entire part generally gets the treatment. Partial coverage like in the above picture suggests paint or some other coating to me, though that's not for sure.

As far as disassembly goes, the safety is easy to remove. There are any number of videos online about changing the safety button on the 870, and they show you how to get it out. The shell carrier should probably also be removed if you're spraying the trigger plate, and that's not tough either. Both the safety and the carrier are pretty independent systems, so they're easy to remove without affecting anything else. As for the trigger, while it can be removed without any special tools or replacement parts, you're digging deeper into the actual trigger mechanism to get to it. Other parts need to be taken out first, and you'll have to remember how everything goes back together or the gun may become unsafe or non-functional. It's entirely possible for a kitchen gunsmith to do this safely, but if you're not confident, you may want to let a gunsmith do the removal & re-installation rather than take chances. If they know how to work on 870s, it should only take them a couple minutes.

The action bar lock covers up part of the external trigger plate, and removing that is not easy to do. You'll need special tools to get it out, and a replacement hammer pin to get it back together. I would say leave that in place. Drop the hammer so it's retracted, tape up the opening in the trigger plate from the inside, and then just spray around it. The action bar lock is supposed to be blued anyway.

I would recommend spraying the trigger plate separately from the receiver. You'll have better access for getting good coverage of relatively complex shape of the trigger plate without having to worry about overspray making the receiver look like crap. Just plug the trigger, safety, and hammer spring vent holes, and mask off the upper areas of the trigger plate that will be hidden by the receiver, so you don't gunk up the internal parts.

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Re: Finish Removal on Trigger Assembly

Post by The Rattler » Mon Sep 04, 2017 3:17 pm

Hmmm. Let me think about this a while.

The picture you posted is the the picture of the trigger assembly for my gun.

I certainly appreciate the reply.

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Re: Finish Removal on Trigger Assembly

Post by Banshee » Mon Sep 04, 2017 4:21 pm

I think it depends on when the trigger housing was made and what grade. My 70s made Wingmasters and TC Trap trigger housings are covered completely with a slick shinny finish and appear to be anodized, but the later made 870P appears to be sprayed with a rougher flat finish of some type of coating or paint. Remington changed them some over the years and would be feasible that the finish was changed to lower production cost.
The devil danced as he went down, in the hail of arrows comin' Out on the wild Montana ground, Custer died a-runnin'.

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Re: Finish Removal on Trigger Assembly

Post by The Rattler » Mon Sep 04, 2017 5:18 pm

I was wrong. I must have remembered the trigger assembly for my 870 Express made in the early 90s. This '66 Wingmaster's trigger assembly is finished in black all over it, except for the hammer, carrier (shell lifter), carrier dog, a coil spring, and a few other parts for which I either cannot remember their names or never knew them. Primarily, it is black.

I took it to a paint store and the expert there said it wasn't paint. So, does this indicate to y'all that this is anodizing?

Thanks to both of you for your help.

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Re: Finish Removal on Trigger Assembly

Post by Synchronizor » Mon Sep 04, 2017 6:56 pm

Now that I look at it when I'm not tired and in a hurry, the picture I posted above is actually from a semi-auto Remington shotgun, not an 870. Same basic fire control design, though.

Like I said, I don't know for sure what the finish is. It's entirely possible that Remington changed the finish at some point (or multiple points) in time, and/or that they use different processes for different models. I do know that the aluminum trigger plates are made with both a matte texture for Police & early Express models, and a smooth texture to match guns with polished bluing.

Image
Image
Image

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Re: Finish Removal on Trigger Assembly

Post by The Rattler » Tue Sep 05, 2017 8:30 pm

Banshee's suspensions are correct. It is anodized aluminum.

I called Remington, and she asked me for my serial number. I gave it to her and she put me on hold. After a short while, she came back and confidently told me that this is anodized aluminum.

BTW, my previously stated manufacture year of 1966 was wrong. The correct year is 1960.

Durablue says all I need to do for preparation is scuff it up with sandpaper to aid in adherence of the Durablue, without trying to remove the coating. Now I must decide whether to do that and spray with Durablue, or have a gunsmith disassemble it, and take it to an anodizing service for re-anodizing, as Banshee suggests.

Durablue is not actual bluing. It is basically Duracoat with an appearance of bluing.

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